Lets look at the idea or doctrine of Infant Baptism. There is no scriptural evidence sanctioning or for the authorization of Infant Baptism, Christ says nothing about Infant Baptism. The Apostles say nothing about Infant Baptism. The early Church did not have Infant Baptism so were did it come from.
The sudden rise of Infant Baptism is not hard to account for if we look for a moment the mystic rites of the mystery religions. In the mystery religions of antiquity in Egypt, Chaldea and Babylon, we learn that the power of the priests was claimed so great that they held the eternal destiny of human souls in their grasp. Infants who died without the mystic rites of the mystery religions having been performed over them, were denied entrance into the "Elysian Fields," the paradise of the Pagans. The system of infant baptism from the earliest time was an initiation ceremony of the mystery religions and cults and interestingly, infants in paganism have Original Sin..
The Elysian Fields (Ancient Greek: lýsion pedíon) was a conception of the afterlife that evolved and maintained by certain Greek religious and philosophical sects and cults. In mythology, Aeneas, like Heracles and Odysseus before him, travels to the underworld and we read of the visit of Aeneas to the infernal regions. There he found the unhappy souls of infants who had died without receiving the rites of paganism, 'before the gates the cries of babes new-born, whom fate had from their tender mothers torn, assault his ears'...cambridgecitycoc.org.uk/OriginalSin.doc;
Here is a another description...
"Infant Baptism is an issue that has divided the Christian community for centuries. Surprisingly this was never an issue in the early church; it is only an issue of churches in more recent history.
During the first three centuries, the church was in an evangelistic mode and we see only adult baptism being administered only upon a persons conversion. There was also the concept that baptism washed away all pre-baptismal sins. It has been in more recent history that infant baptism has been practiced by the church to wash away 'original sin.' Another practice followed this of even postponing baptism until a persons deathbed in order not to commit post-baptismal sins which would have to be dealt with through penance.
As the church absorbed the pagan world, infant baptism became a common practice. In part, this was based on the fact that even in the ancient church there was the idea that baptism was the initiation rite into the community of faith, and infants are born into that community so they are baptized. Another contributing factor was the rise of the understanding of original sin and the belief that baptism washed away the stain of original sin.
The earliest mention of infant baptism was by Tertullian around A.D. 220. Tertullian mentions the practice in conjunction with sponsors who would aid in the childs spiritual training (as Godparents today). But overwhelmingly, the doctrine of baptism during the first three centuries of the church was adult believers baptism only. Infants simply cannot comply: infants cannot be converted, infants cannot repent and believe and in reality, do not need repentance, having not yet committed any actual transgression....Infant baptism is not a Scriptural doctrine. It is not found anywhere in the Bible. There is not one example in the Bible of one single baby ever being baptized and its origins are largely pagan." What are the origins of infant baptism, and is there any Scriptural basis for it?
The sudden rise of Infant Baptism is not hard to account for if we look for a moment the mystic rites of the mystery religions. In the mystery religions of antiquity in Egypt, Chaldea and Babylon, we learn that the power of the priests was claimed so great that they held the eternal destiny of human souls in their grasp. Infants who died without the mystic rites of the mystery religions having been performed over them, were denied entrance into the "Elysian Fields," the paradise of the Pagans. The system of infant baptism from the earliest time was an initiation ceremony of the mystery religions and cults and interestingly, infants in paganism have Original Sin..
The Elysian Fields (Ancient Greek: lýsion pedíon) was a conception of the afterlife that evolved and maintained by certain Greek religious and philosophical sects and cults. In mythology, Aeneas, like Heracles and Odysseus before him, travels to the underworld and we read of the visit of Aeneas to the infernal regions. There he found the unhappy souls of infants who had died without receiving the rites of paganism, 'before the gates the cries of babes new-born, whom fate had from their tender mothers torn, assault his ears'...cambridgecitycoc.org.uk/OriginalSin.doc;
Here is a another description...
"Infant Baptism is an issue that has divided the Christian community for centuries. Surprisingly this was never an issue in the early church; it is only an issue of churches in more recent history.
During the first three centuries, the church was in an evangelistic mode and we see only adult baptism being administered only upon a persons conversion. There was also the concept that baptism washed away all pre-baptismal sins. It has been in more recent history that infant baptism has been practiced by the church to wash away 'original sin.' Another practice followed this of even postponing baptism until a persons deathbed in order not to commit post-baptismal sins which would have to be dealt with through penance.
As the church absorbed the pagan world, infant baptism became a common practice. In part, this was based on the fact that even in the ancient church there was the idea that baptism was the initiation rite into the community of faith, and infants are born into that community so they are baptized. Another contributing factor was the rise of the understanding of original sin and the belief that baptism washed away the stain of original sin.
The earliest mention of infant baptism was by Tertullian around A.D. 220. Tertullian mentions the practice in conjunction with sponsors who would aid in the childs spiritual training (as Godparents today). But overwhelmingly, the doctrine of baptism during the first three centuries of the church was adult believers baptism only. Infants simply cannot comply: infants cannot be converted, infants cannot repent and believe and in reality, do not need repentance, having not yet committed any actual transgression....Infant baptism is not a Scriptural doctrine. It is not found anywhere in the Bible. There is not one example in the Bible of one single baby ever being baptized and its origins are largely pagan." What are the origins of infant baptism, and is there any Scriptural basis for it?
